Travel Information

Practical Information

When you are going to be on your way there several things to consider in the last few days before your departure and about traveling in China. We have collected some of things you might want to consider, if you have any further questions about these things feel free to contact us at wudangkungfu@yeah.net

Travel Information

You need to purchase the flight tickets on your own. Cheaper flight tickets and hotels than from your home country can often be found on this travelling website. From your home country, we recommend you to travel either over Beijing or Shanghai. From there, there are 2 ways to get to the academy.

BY PLANE

The nearest airport close to the academy is Wudangshan Airport and the pickup service costs is $40, also you can arrive at Xiangfan Airport (Now it is renamed Xiang Yang Airport) and the pickup service costs is $100.

BY TRAIN

The nearest train station to our academy is Wudangshan. Shiyan train station is also near and many fast trains stop here and not at Wudangshan. Pick up from Wudangshan train station costs $20; from Shiyan Train Station costs $30.

There are 2 ways to buy a train ticket. You can just show up at the train station when you arrive and buy the ticket straight at the station, most likely you will just have to wait a few hours and then you will be on your way. NB this method will not work during Chinese national holidays where train tickets are completely sold out several weeks in advance.

The other option is to book a ticket in advance either via the academy (free service) or get a Chinese friend to help you book the train tickets at the official website, since it is only in Chinese. If you book a ticket in advance make sure you have at least 4 hours from your plane lands until your train departs. It takes time to get from the airport to the stations, and at the stations you need to collect your ticket at a ticket office where the line very often is long and you need to check in for your train up to 40 minutes before your departure.

Money

Our Academy provides students full room and board, so it’s not necessary to bring a lot of extra money for spending unless you want to buy souvenirs, shop or plan to travel in China. All you need is some pocket money for food (snacks), a massage in the weekends, some clothes, etc. Students are likely to find that food and many other things are much cheaper to buy in China than in their home country. 100-200$ pr. month for long term students and 200-300$ pr. month for short term students are sufficient for most students.

You should bring your credit card or debit card to withdraw cash from the ATM’s at the local banks. There are many of them, e.g. Bank of China, ICBC, Bank of Construction, Bank of Communications, etc. It’s possible but unnecessary to open a Chinese Bank Account, if you need to transfer money from your home country to China, you can use the Academy’s account, and we will get the transfer in cash for you. Traveler checks can be cashed at the Bank of China, but may take a little while to process. It is a good idea to talk with your bank before traveling to ensure that your card will work in China and/or maybe to get an extra card with you as an extra safety precaution.

In China credit cards are only used very few places so you should always carry cash with you. When arriving in China it is a good idea to have around 1000 CNY (150$) on you, some in small notes, for “just in case” and so that you do not need to go to an ATM as the first thing.

Packing

This is not a complete list but it might help you when packing your suitcase. Please also remember to bring two passport photos for registration at the academy and the local police office.

Summer: Bring plenty of training t-shirts and shorts. It can get very warm and most students sweat through their clothes in every training so 2-3 sets of clothes can be used in a day. High factor sunscreen to use in the first 1-2 weeks until your skin is getting used to the sun, most training is are outside.

Winter: It can be very cold in winter so warm sweaters for both training and free time, a warm jacket, thermal underwear or a track suit is recommended. Hats and gloves are very used items as well. A fat cream for protecting hands and face from the cold is recommended as well.

General: It will be useful to bring a pair of good running shoes for jogging and stamina training. For regular training, students usually wear a type of thin-sole shoes, specifically used for kung Fu, that can be bought easily after arriving at the academy.

For clothes outside training 2-3 sets will be enough. Most students wear training clothes in the weekdays and regular clothes for when going to the city or on trips in the weekends.

A Chinese phrasebook will be a great help for you during both your journey to and from the academy but also when you are in the nearby city since most Chinese speak very little or no English.

Most of the things you will need can also be bought in Wudang Mountain town or the nearest city-Shiyan, or in the academy’s shop. If you are very tall or have bigger feet (largest size available is 47 EU). It might though be an idea to bring a little extra clothes and shoes since the sizes in China are smaller and a good fit might be hard to come by.